The police watchdog is investigating claims that officers ripped open a teddy bear containing a baby’s ashes and scattered them on the floor in a hunt for a stolen laptop.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it was examining an allegation that officers from Staffordshire police spilled the ashes of a 10-month-old baby while executing a search warrant in the Cannock area.
Chelsea Wright complained after police searched her house on 27 June, the IPCC said on Monday. She alleged that officers had opened up a “memory bear” containing the ashes of the couple’s son Nathan, who died suddenly in 2014.
Wright said she had found the ashes scattered around a bedroom after the officers left empty-handed.
“I can’t understand how the police can be so heartless and so inconsiderate. As soon as I went into the bedroom and saw the mess I knew it was Nathan’s ashes spread around the room,” she told the Daily Mail.
“I was just in hysterics. I got on to my hands and knees and tried to salvage the ashes and brush them on to pieces of paper, but it was impossible.”
Wright said she had been carrying the memory bear with her since Nathan’s sudden death and warned the officers to be careful. “I’d even mentioned it to them before they started searching, but the Velcro on the teddy bear’s back had been opened and the bag had been cut open,” she said.
“I have no idea how they expected to find a laptop inside a small plastic bag which was inside a teddy bear, it is absolutely disgusting. To have this happen feels like I have lost Nathan all over again.”
Staffordshire police voluntarily referred her complaint to the IPCC, which is independently investigating the circumstances. Evidence gathered so far includes body-worn video footage and accounts have been sought from the officers involved in the search.
The IPCC operations manager Steve Bimson said: “We have met with Ms Wright and her partner to explain our role and we will keep all parties regularly updated on our investigation.
“This is an emotive case and we are conscious of the distress and wider concern this has caused. We will be looking at all of the circumstances of this incident and whether there is any organisational learning arising from it.”
